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challenge any in Great Britain. The Staffs are originally of Staffordshire, which took its Name from them. The firft that I find of the Staffs was one Jacobstaff, a famous and renowned Aftronomer, who by Dorothy his Wife had Iffue feven Sons, viz. Bickerfaff, Long staff, Wagstaff, Quarterftaff, Whiteftaff, Falstaff, and Tipfaff. He alfo had a younger Brother who was twice married, and had five Sons, viz. Diftaff, Pikeftaff, Mopftaff, Broomstaff, and Ruggedfiaff. As for the Branch from whence you fpring, I fhall fay very little of it, only that it is the chief of the Staffs, and called Bickerstaff, quafi Biggerftaff; as much as to fay, the Great Staff, or Staff of Staffs; and that it has applied itself to Aftronomy with great Succefs, after the Example of ‹ our aforefaid Forefather. The Descendants from Longfaff, the fecond Son, were a rakish disorderly Sort of People, and rambled from one Place to another, till in Harry II.'s time, they fettled in Kent, and were called Long-Tails, from the Long-Tails, which were fent them as a Punishment for the Murder of Thomas-a-Becket, as the Legends fay. They have always been seeked after by the Ladies, but whether it be to fhew their Averfion to Popery, or < their Love to Miracles, I can't fay. The Waghtaffs are a merry thoughtlefs Sort of People, who have al6 ways been opinionated of their own Wit; they have <turned themselves moftly to Poetry. This is the most ❝ numerous Branch of our Family, and the poorest. The Quarterftaffs are most of them Prize-fighters or Deer• stealers: There have been so many of them hanged lately, that there are very few of that Branch of our Family left. The Whiteftaffs are all Courtiers, and ⚫ have had very confiderable Places. There have been ⚫ fome of them of that Strength and Dexterity, that < five hundred of the ableft Men in the Kingdom have often tugged in vain to pull a Staff out of their Hands. The Falstaffs are ftrangely given to Whoring and Drinking: There are Abundance of them in and about London. And one thing is very remarkable of this Branch, and that is, There are just as : many

many Women as Men in it.

There was a wicked • Stick of Wood of this Name in Harry IV.'s time, one Sir John Falstaff. As for Tipftaff, the youngest • Son, he was an honest Fellow; but his Sons, and his "Sons Sons, have all of them been the verieft Rogues living: It is this unlucky Branch has ftock'd the Nation with that Swarm of Lawyers, Attornies, Serjeants and Bailiffs, with which the Nation is over-run. Tipftaff, being a Seventh Son, used to cure the King's Evil; but his rafcally Defcendants are fo far from having that healing Quality, that by a Touch upon the • Shoulder, they give a Man fuch an ill Habit of Body, that he can never come abroad afterwards. This is all • I know of the Line of Jacobftaff: His younger Brother Ifaacftaff, as I told you before, had five Sens, and was married twice; his firft Wife was a Staff, (for they did not stand upon falfe Heraldry in thofe Days) by whom he had one Son, who in procefs of Time being a Schoolmafter, and well read in the Greek, called himself Distaff, or Twiceftaff. He was not very rich, fo he put his Children out to Trades; and the Distaffs ⚫ have ever fince been employed in the Woollen and Linen • Manufactures, except myself, who am a Genealogist. Pikeftaff, the eldest Son by the second Venter, was a Man of Bufinefs, a downright plodding Fellow, ⚫ and withal fo plain, that he became a Proverb. Most of this Family are at present in the Army. Raggedftaff was an unlucky Boy, and used to tear his Clothes a getting Birds Nests, and was always playing with a tame Bear his Father kept. Mopftaff fell in love with one of his Father's Maids, and used to help her to clean the House. Broomftaff was a Chimneyfweeper. The Mopftaffs and Broomftaffs are naturally as civil People as ever went out of doors; but alas! if they once get into ill Hands, they knock down all ⚫ before them. Pilgrimftaff run away from his Friends, and went a strolling about the Country: and Pipeftaff was a Wine-cooper. These two were the unlawful Iffue of Long ftaff.

N. B. The Canes, the Clubs, the Cudgels, the Wands, the Devil upon two Sticks, and one. Bread, that goes by VOL. I. • the

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the Name of the Staff of Life, are none of our Re

lations. I am,

AS politick News is not the principal Subject on. which we treat, we are so happy as to have no Occafion for that Art of Cookery which our Brother Newsmongers fo much excel in; as appears by their excellent and inimitable Manner of dreffing up a fecond time for your Taste the fame Dish which they gave you. the Day before, in case there come over no new Pickles from Holland. Therefore when we have nothing to fay to you from Courts and Camps, we hope still to give. you fomewhat new and curious from our felves: The Women of our House upon occafion, being capable of carrying on the Bufinefs according to the laudable Custom. of the Wives in Holland; but, without farther Preface, take what we have not mentioned in our former Relations.

LETTERS from Hanover of the 30th of the last Month fay, That the Prince Royal of Pruffia arrived. there on the 15th, and left that Court on the fecond of this Month, in pursuit of his Journey to Flanders, where he makes the enfuing Campaign. Thofe Advices add, That the young Prince Nassau, Hereditary Governor of Friefland, confummated on the 26th of the laft Month his Marriage with the beauteous Princefs of Heffe Caffel, with a Pomp and Magnificence fuitable to their Age and Quality.

LETTERS from Paris fay, His most Christian Majefty retired to Marly, on the first Instant, N. S. and our laft Advices from Spain inform us, That the Prince of Afturias had made his publick Entry into Madrid in great Splendor. The Duke of Anjou has given Don fofeph Hartado de Amaraga the Government of Terra firma de Veragua and the Prefidency of Panama in America. They add, that the Forces commanded by the Marquis de Bay have been reinforced by fix Battalions

of

γι

of Spanish and Walloon Guards. Letters from Lisbon advise, That the Army of the King of Portugal was at Elvas on the 22d of the last Month, and would decamp on the 24th, in order to march upon the Enemy who lay at Badajos.

YESTERDAY, at four in the Morning, his Grace the Duke of Marlborough fet out for Margate, and embarked for Holland at eight this Morning

YESTERDAY alfo Sir George Thorold was declared Alderman of Cordwainers Ward, in the room of his Brother Sir Charles Thorold deceased.

SEWWW USES IS US US

No. 12. Saturday, May 7. 1709.

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May 5.

HEN a Man has engaged to keep a Stage Coach, he is obliged, whether he has Paffengers or not, to fet out: Thus it fares with us weekly Hiftorians; but indeed for my Particular, I hope I shall foon have little more to do in this Work than to publish what is fent me from such as have Leisure and Capacity for giving Delight, and being pleafed in an elegant Manner. The prefent Grandeur of the British Nation might make us expect, that we should rife in our publick Diverfions, and Manner of enjoying Life, in proportion to our Advancement in Glory and Power. Instead of that, take and furvey this Town, and you will find Rakes and Debauchees are your Men of Pleasure ; thoughtless Atheifts and illiterate Drunkards call themfelves Free-Thinkers; and Gamefters, Banterers, Biters, Swearers, and twenty new-born Infects more, are, in their feveral Species, the modern Men of Wit. Hence it is, that a Man who has been out of Town but one Half Year, has loft the Language, and must have some Friend to stand by him, and keep him in countenance for talking common Senfe. To day I saw a fhort Interlude at White's of this nature, which I took Notes of,

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and

and put together as well as I could in a publick Place. The Perfons of the Drama are Pip, the laft Gentleman that has been made fo at Cards; Trimmer, a Perfon half urdone at them, and is now between a Cheat and a Gentleman; Acorn, an honeft Englishman of good plain Senfe and Meaning; and Mr. Friendly, a reasonable Man of the Town.

White's Chocolate-house, May 5.

Enter Pip, Trim, and Acorn.

Ac. WHAT's the Matter, Gentlemen? What ! Take no notice of an old Friend?

Pip. POX on it! Don't talk to me, I am vowel'd by the Count, and curfedly out of humour.

Ac. VOWEL'D; prithee Trimmer, What does he mean by that?

Trim. HAVE a care, Harry, fpeak foftly; don't fhow your Ignorance:-If you do, they will bite you where e'er they meet you, they are fuch curfed Curs,— the present Wits."

Ac. BITE me! What do you mean?

Pip. WHY! Don't you know what Biting is ? Nay, you are in the right on't. However, one would learn it only to defend one's self against Men of Wit, as one would know the Tricks of Play, to be fecure against the Cheats. But don't you hear, Acorn, that Report, That fome Potentates of the Alliance have taken care of themselves exclufive of us?

Ac. HOW! Heaven forbid! After all our glorious Victories; all the Expence of Blood and Treasure! Pip. BITE!

Ac. BITE! How?

Trim.NAY,he has bit you fairly enough; that's certain. Ac. POX! I don't feel it.

- How? Where? [Exit Pip and Trimmer laughing. Ac. HO! Mr. Friendly, Your most humble Servant; you heard what paffed between thofe fine Gentlemen and me. Pip complained to me, That he has been vowel'd ; and they tell me I am bit.

Friend. YOU are to understand, Sir, That Simplicity of Behaviour, which is the Perfection of good Breed